Driving mechanism for knitting needles



Dec. 7, 1948. I J. P. LINDHOLM DRIVING MECHANISM FOR KNITTING NEEDLES Filed Aug. 3, 1946 I (LI-gen ELL niZIzozm Patented Dec. 7, 1948v U NIT ED FENT OF E ECE DRIVING MECHANISM FOR KNITTING NEEDLES York Application August 3, 1946; Serial No. 688,385 In Denmark August- 22, 1942 Section 1, Public Law 690, August 8, 1946 Patent expires AugustZZ, 1962 2 Claims.

This invention relates to-driving mechanism for knitting-needles. especially of the kind used for repairing knitted hosiery.

One object of the invention is to provide a driving mechanism or" the kind referred to which is adapted to be mounted on a sewing machine and to be driven thereby.

Another object of the invention is to pro vide a driving mechanism of the kind referred to. comprising an air-pump for supplying motive power to the knitting-needle and provided with means for securing the pump to the spool holder on a sewing machine, and with a driving roller adapted to co-operate with the periphery of the balance wheel of the sewing machine.

Other objects and features will appear as this description proceeds, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 shows a driving mechanism in accordance with this invention mounted on the sewing machine,

Figures 2 and 3 are sectional views of details, and

Figure 4 a modification.

In Figure 1 H] is a sewing machine having a balance wheel I2 adapted to be driven by means of a hand crank M or through a belt drive by means of a motor or pedal.

The driving mechanism of a knitting-needle (not shown) is mounted on the sewing machine in a manner which will now be described. The knitting-needle may be of the type adapted to be driven by compressed air supplied by a piston pump. As such knitting-needles are known per se, the needle need not be described in detail.

The driving mechanism of the knitting-needle comprises an air pump, the piston of which (not shown) is connected as by means of a connecting rod l8 with a crank 20 associated with a driving roller 22 which is mounted for rotation in a bearing 22a supported by an extension 23 of the pump cylinder IS. The pump is supported on the sewing machine in such position that the driving roller 22 engages the periphery of the balance wheel 62 so as to be driven thereby to cause the pump 16, which is connected with the knitting-needle through a hose 24, to impose pulsating air pressure on the knitting-needle.

The pump cylinder 16 is rigidly connected with an arm 2E5 which is slotted over the greater part of its length. As clearly shown in Figure l, the arm may be made of thick wire which is bent back on itself, leaving a space between its two branches. The arm 26 is provided with two sliding members 28 and 30 which are adapted to be adjusted along the length of the arm and which are provided with bores adapted to be received in spool holders 32 and 34 respectively of the sewing machine. The members 28 and 30 are secured to said yarn holders by means of thumbscrews 36 and 38 respectively.

The shape of the members '28 and 30 appears from Figures 2 and 3. Each member 28 or 3D has a height corresponding to the width of the slot of the arm 25 and is at one side of the arm provided with a flange 40 adapted to engage the face of the arm.

Instead of securing the arm 26 to both yarn holders of the sewing machine, a slidable rod 42 may be mounted in one of the members 28, 38 which terminates at its lower end in a bifurcated member M adapted to be supported upon the upper side of the sewing machine. Through this measure, the device will also be applicable to sewing machines having one spool holder only.

In order to ensure firm engagement between the driving roller 22 and the balance wheel l2 of the sewing machine, a coil spring it may be inserted between the member 28 and the member 48 secured to the spool holder 32 as by means of a thumb-screw 59, as shown in Figure 4. In this instance the member 25 is freely slidable on the spool holder 32. In this embodiment the members 28, it and the member 38 are threaded over the spool holders 32, Eli respectively until the roller 22 engages the circumference of the balance wheel l2. Now the member 3!] is secured to the spool holder 34 by means of the thumbscrew 38 and the member 18 is urged a small distance in an upward direction so as to compress the coil spring 46 whereby the roller 22 is urged firmly against the circumference of the balance wheel l2.

By suitably adjusting the compression of the spring 46, the pressure between the roller 22 and the wheel 52 may be so adjusted as to ensure driving of the pump it without unnecessary strain upon the balance wheel.

The device described is of very simple construction and comprises relatively few parts so that it may be manufactured at low costs in mass production.

Further, the device presents the advantage that it can be easily fitted to a sewing machine without the necessity of removing any part of the latter. During operation of the device, the balance wheel of the sewing machine may be disconnected from the other movable members of the machine in order to facilitate operation and to avoid unnecessary wear of the said other members of the machine.

I do not wish to confine myself to the embodiments described and shown in the drawing, which may be modified in various respects within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. For use with a sewing machine having a balance wheel and one or more spool holders, a driving mechanism for knitting needles, comprising driving means adapted to co-operate with the periphery of the balance wheel, an arm adapted to extend along the upper side of said machine, and slidable clamping members on said arm adapted to be secured to the spool holders of the sewing machine.

2. For use with a sewing machine having a balance wheel and one or or more spool holders, a driving mechanism for knitting-needles, comprising a drivin roller adapted to co-operate 20 REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 783,856 Chaffin Feb. 28, 1905 1,897,452 Vitoux Feb. 14, 1933 1,931,588 Nevelson Oct. 24, 1933 2,390,329 Runcie Dec. 4, 1945 

